


Now This Is Who We Are (I Am No One's Hero)

by ashadowonthewall



Category: Skins (UK)
Genre: Accidental Stimulation, F/M, Friendship, Frottage, Gen, M/M, Season/Series 05, Sexist Language, Slash, Swearing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 21:57:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/931518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashadowonthewall/pseuds/ashadowonthewall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an old one for a prompt at skinsfans LJ. Rich and Nick bond after the non-wedding. </p><p>Title of the piece is taken from <i>"This Is Who We Are"</i> by As I Lay Dying. Unbeta'd so any mistakes are mine. Takes place a little after 5x08.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now This Is Who We Are (I Am No One's Hero)

Rich has been avoiding Nick all day ever since the guy called him “Justin Beiber”, and for good reason because it’s possibly the biggest insult he’s ever received from someone. 

He can deal with being called a prick, a weirdo, a metal fag and all of that. But any comparison to some tween pop music pansy makes his skin crawl, and he almost hates that he had to cut his hair for the wedding, which didn’t turn out to be a wedding at all. 

He misses his old hair already. But he smiles whenever Grace runs her fingers through it because it makes her happy. And Rich is trying desperately to learn that other people’s happiness is supposed to be more important than his own.

Grace, Liv and Franky are still moshing back in the tent when he goes outside for some fresh air. He’s sat on some grass sipping a can of beer when he turns around to see Nick coming closer to him. It startles him, because he thought it was Alo. He’s still really edgy from almost getting into a fight with David Blood back at the church, and if he hears another Beiber joke he knows he’ll punch Nick for sure.

Nick sits down next to him, and he doesn’t speak at first, but Rich is confused already. He doesn’t know why this rugby prick wants to talk to him now, or even hang out with him tonight when he’s got Alo. But there doesn’t seem to be a trace of Alo anywhere. Matty said he saw him and Mini walk out together, and Rich doesn’t know whether the idea makes him want to barf or laugh his arse off. 

Mini and Alo? No fucking way! 

But then again, it’s been a pretty crazy day so anything is possible.

\--

Nick is drunk and talks about how screwed up and he and Mini were. It’s no surprise to Rich really, because it’s one of the things he hates about these preppy guys and girls, the way everything’s so over dramatized, so fucking petty and shallow. Sometimes he feels like by being with Grace he’s digging himself into that hole and it scares the fuck out of him. Nick’s incessant whining isn’t making him feel any better.

Mini probably dumped him because he quit the rugby team and she couldn’t be seen with him anymore or some other stupid shit like that. 

“You know, you’re a fucking lucky guy, man.” Nick slurs, his eyes droopy and his arm resting on Rich’s shoulder. Rich doesn’t know what the fuck is up. He doesn’t even know why Nick wants to talk to him since they didn’t really hang out before.

“My girl,” Nick says. “Mini…she fucking hates me now…and Liv…”

He starts snorting and laughing, and Rich finds it incredibly annoying, so much so that he just turns his head away until the sound of nothing but Nick’s sobs are ringing in his ear.

“Stop it you big cry baby,” he says.

“But that slag….” Nick says, wiping his eyes. “She wouldn’t give me my come down cuddle”. 

“Fuck’s sake Nick!” Rich whines. “There are other girls around alright. Trust me, being in a relationship is not all it’s cracked up to be. I would know.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“I’m fucking bored, let’s go back in there before it gets to late and all the beer is gone”. 

\--

Nick is surprisingly complacent, and even though Rich doesn’t know why the fuck they’re hanging out together, he doesn’t care because Gracey is spending time with the girls and Alo…probably off fucking Mini by now.

That’s why he does it. That’s why he gets drunk, hangs out with Nick while the guy mopes and talks about how things could have been better between him and Mini.

That’s why the two of them walk home together and Nick stops by a tree to take a piss. He’s still yapping on about Mini when Rich grabs him by the shirt and tells him to shut the fuck up and get over it before he smacks the shit out of him. 

“Sorry about the hair joke,” Nick says, his eyes glazed over and his lips and eyes droopy as he runs a finger through Rich’s fringe. “It looks nice”.

The only thing going through Rich’s mind then is Alo’s “gay, gay, gay” joke and when he kisses Nick on the mouth to shut him up, he lets his mind wander off back to the days when he and Alo were younger and still discovering what their dicks were meant for. The way they used to play with each other just because they could, and because there were never any girls around at the time. 

He knows this is wrong, and fuck, Nick must be really desperate because he’s kissing him back while unzipping his fly. Rich is hard through his fucking trousers too. He hasn’t had a wank in days, and he can feel his cheeks burning up with the feel of Nick’s hand against his cock, the both of them thrusting against each other, with Nick pushed back against the tree. The squishing sound of pre-come fills their ears as they pick up the pace, their breaths hot and tongues darting out into each other’s mouths in desperation.

Rich would never have even dreamed that the sound of Nick’s moans would turn him on so much but it gets him off more than the sound of Grace screaming his name whenever he drives into her, clasping her mouth with his hand to prevent her from screaming too loud so that the parents would hear.

The appeal is the same. It’s the secrecy that matters, and Rich is so afraid that even in these dark and empty streets someone will come out or drive by and see them. It scares and excites him and when Nick leans in to suck on his neck, moving his hand up and down his shaft quicker and quicker, Rich finds he can’t take it anymore, splashing come all over Nick’s hand with Nick getting himself off not long after.

\--

They zip up and clean themselves a few seconds later and when the two of them make their way home they don’t say a word to each other until Nick makes it to his front door.

“Alo is lucky to have a mate like you,” Nick says. “And Gracey is lucky to have a boyfriend like you. You’re a good bloke, Rich”.

Rich smiles, despite himself. “Yeah, alright mate. Just don’t tell anyone what happened okay?”

Nick nods his head and walks in through the door.

It’s been one hell of a night, and Rich is hoping that when he wakes up he’s not going to remember a thing. But he does think that it’s the beginning of something new, something better than compromise. And that something doesn’t scare him anymore.

Alo was right when he said he was afraid, but he isn’t anymore. He thinks that maybe this time he’ll learn to face things head on and be brave for once. It’ll be a start from where he left off last time.

He still fucking hates his new haircut though.


End file.
